Amir Khan will fight Luis Collazo on May 3, when he originally thought he'd be taking on Floyd Mayweather.
Reuters

Floyd Mayweather is set to return to the ring for another high-profile fight in early May. Even though the bout is more than a month away, boxers are positioning themselves to get a shot at the champ in 2014.

WBA Welterweight champion Marcos Maidana is Mayweather’s next scheduled opponent. The 30-year-old sports a 35-3 career record, with 31 knockouts. The Argentine has won his last four fights, including his most recent match against Adrien Broner. Still, he’s not a major threat to defeat Mayweather.

In 2013, Mayweather signed a six-fight deal with Showtime, which has him on schedule to fight in May and September over a three-year span. After he takes on Maidana, he’s expected to step in the ring just four months later.

Amir Khan and Luis Collazo want to be Mayweather’s next opponent. Before they can take on the best in the world, though, the boxers will fight each other.

Khan and Collazo will fight on the same card as Mayweather-Maidana, which is scheduled for May 3 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Both are hoping a victory will get them in the ring with Mayweather.

"Both Amir Khan and Luis Collazo have made it known that they want a shot at the winner of the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana, so what better way for them to prove that they're next," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said.

For weeks leading up to Mayweather’s announcement that he would be fighting Maidana, it looked as though Khan would be the undefeated boxer’s next opponent. The Brit was so confident he’d fight Mayweather in May that he even withdrew from a title fight in December against Devon Alexander.

Collazo hadn’t been in the conversation to fight Mayweather following the 37-year-old’s defeat of Canelo Alvarez in September. However, Collazo made a statement in January at Barclays Center in Brooklyn when he knocked out Victor Ortiz in the second round. Mayweather had knocked out Ortiz in 2011 in a somewhat controversial bout.

"Collazo is coming off the great performance against Victor. He's flying high, and he is ready. He wanted a big fight," Schaefer said. "He's not only getting a big fight but getting a big fight on the biggest stage in boxing. He's been waiting for it, and now here it comes.

Khan is the early favorite to come out on top. The Bolton native is coming off victories over Julio Diaz in April and Carlos Molina in Dec. 2012. This comes after back-to-back losses to Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson.